America burns

Like everyone else, I've spent too much of the weekend watching the protests in America, and the increasingly brutal response to them. The overwhelming impression is of a nationwide police riot, as people speaking out against a murder and demanding change are beaten, gassed and shot by racist, militarised thugs outraged that people would question their unaccountability. And today it has got worse, with President Trump demanding that state governors "dominate" protesters, and now threatening to send in the military.

Let's be clear: using the military against protesters is what tyrants do. Its what China did in Tiananmen Square. Its what Uzbekistan did in Andijan. Its what Britain did at Peterloo. And when the President of the United States behaves like a tyrant, he deserves to be treated like one.